Means to an End
by J Elise
Summary: Akane and Ranma are both left for dead after a fight with a dangerous opponent. Is this really the end of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts?


Tears leaked from the young girl's eyes. The wounds she'd suffered would heal, given the time. But the shadow over her heart would forever haunt her. Sobbing, she fell against her fiance. Begging him to stay with her just a little bit longer. His colorless lips gingerly pressed against her own in a last ditch effort to make him respond.

She bore the weight of reality as it sank down upon her, pushing her closer to his unmoving body. He wasn't going to come back. Ranma Saotome, of the anything goes school of martial arts, had lost. And there was nothing she could do about it.

Her brute strength just wasn't going to cut it this time. They had worked as a team, attacking and defending like two fierce dragons out for blood. And now, after all they had been through. After all they had risked for each other and for their families and friends…it was going to end like this.

With a shaking hand, she smoothed back his hair, waiting for the inevitable. She refused to leave any space between them, unable to once again witness the fury unleashed upon her fiance's body. Just the sight of his red Chinese shirt, ripped open from collar to naval, was enough to squeeze the air out of her lungs.

She had found him, lying on his back in the middle of a fifteen foot crater. Eyes shut and teeth clenched. Trying in vain to keep himself conscious and moving. His ponytail had flown loose into a halo of black hair surrounding his forehead. Already matted from the streams of blood flowing down his face.

Tears clouded her vision, leaving him almost unrecognizable. She might even have fooled herself were it not for the two dragons on either side of his chest, eyes boring into the gaping scar that had ripped them apart. Their tails pointing to the holes in his pants legs, leaving visible missing chunks of flesh underneath. All from the impact of an unruly energy blast.

How stupid she was. He was laying there dying, and all she could think about was how in the world she was ever going to mend that stupid shirt of his. His favorite shirt. He hardly ever wore it, but it was still his most prized possession. Not even Ukyo knew that.

There were a lot of things his so-called fiancées didn't know. Like how he performed every one of his katas flawlessly except for that last kick which was always a little to the left. Or how he despised being glomped. Or even how he secretly relished being part of their family…even if he got on their bad side more often than not.

In the past few years, she had taken to studying Ranma's every move. And had discovered things about him that she never dreamed possible. Jusendo had been such a change for both of them. Life was far from perfect, but they were slowly beginning to accept each other's flaws.

It just wasn't fair! Now that he had finally gotten to know her as an equal, a true martial artist. Worthy of training alongside him. He had to go and die on her. S_tupid jerk!_ _Risking your life like that. I didn't ask to be saved. It was your own honor that got you killed. _

That was how it went. Plowing through insult after insult. Until she wore herself out. Realizing that she just didn't have the strength to hold any of it against him. Not after what he had suffered for her sake.

Maybe, if she could have foreseen the blast a split second earlier, she would be the one lying here instead of Ranma. She should never have let it come to this. As senseless as it was, she wouldn't allow his sacrifice to be taken so lightly. There was only one thing left to do.

"Saké Namazaki! Prepare to die!"

The warning came from a far off place in Akane's heart. A place she wished to have never known of. Anger and pain swelled into rage. The rage into a powerful chi blast. Aimed right at the heart of the man who had taken everything away from her.

Shi Shi Hokodan echoed off the walls of the canyon, as the force of the blast lit up the area around them. Those were the last words she cried as the ground rose up to meet her.

* * *

"Over there! I can hear them! Hurry up you idiots!" Ukyo went racing ahead, leaving the other yokels to fend for themselves. Behind her, scurried an extremely unamused duck and pig being chased by a giant panda. If she didn't know better, she'd say Genma was actually shedding a few pounds in an effort to reach his son. It was the fastest she'd seen him move in his life. Including the time he'd taken off with the family okinomiyaki cart.

Was it really so serious then? Could Ranma be in over his head with this crackpot prince? She'd had about all she could take of these would-be suitors showing up and claiming the first woman they saw as a fiancé. And why did it always have to be Akane? What exactly was she lacking in the looks department anyway?

Well, when she found this Sake person, she certainly wouldn't go easy on him. The nerve of that jackass, claiming her best work was "low grade garbage he wouldn't serve to commoners." Who did he think he was anyway? Just wait til she got her hands on his stuffy little throat.

She only hoped there was some left over by the time they pulled Ryoga and Mousse off of him. Those two jackasses were just trouble waiting to happen. Ukyo cringed, looking behind her. Shampoo, had graciously managed to avoid the river by using Mousse's head as a springboard. The rest of their companions hadn't been so lucky.

It had slowed them down so much, Shampoo had taken the final blow to her pride. Ukyo pointedly ignored the half-hearted squawk from Mousse as he made goo goo eyes at the Amazon while suffocating under her arm.

The two girls were more worried about Ranma than either cared to admit. They both knew Akane was not going to be any help to Ranma in a battle. She'd probably mallet him to death first chance she got. And if anything happened to Ranma honey, it would take a long time before Akane was ever in her good graces again. They may have had a truce, but it was only because Ranma was so insistent on Ukyo giving her a chance.

She had learned a long time ago that Ranma didn't love her in the way that she had dreamed of. Unfortunately, Shampoo and Kodachi were going to be much harder to convince. The only shred of compassion she had for Shampoo was the fact that she was just as worried about Ran-chan. Perhaps that's why they hadn't spoke two words to each other since this whole mess had begun.

They were just over the ridge now. The road widened into a huge crater filled valley. The signs of battle were evident. Rocks blown apart. Rubble spread everywhere. Craters the size of football fields left in the cement-like ground. Ukyo scanned the wreckage looking for signs of their lost companions.

Of course, what she saw made her heart stop. Ranma lay dead in front of her. His clothes shredded, scars marring every part of the exposed flesh. Air pushed its way out of her lungs, but her scream was soundless. She could feel her legs moving her aimlessly towards his body.

There was no question in her mind as to who was to blame. The blue haired tom-boy wonder herself lay curled against HER Ranma. No sign of a struggle, just laying there limply as if all the life had gone out of her. Well no way Akane was going to die unless she herself delivered the final blow. Somehow she had known all along this was going to happen. Never trust an oversexed wimp to have your back in a battle.

Judging from the high pitched squeal, and horrible growl coming from behind her, it was evident the others had caught up. P-Chan was at Akane's side in an instant. Shampoo had long since dropped Mousse on his head, moving to glomp over Ranma. Genma was the exception. The long growls ceased as soon as he caught sight of his son and fiancée. There was nothing he could do as a panda and so he hastily pulled a tea kettle out of nowhere and dumped the contents unceremoniously over his head.

Ever the martial artist, he was on the alert for the one that had caused the destruction in the first place. He quickly surveyed the scene before him and just as quickly looked away to scan for any sign of Sake.

He didn't have to look long. The shadows pulled at the edges of the mountains, making his final resting place clearly visible. The crater he rested in was three times the size of Ranma's. There were pieces of him lying in various places, but none that clearly could be identified as a body.

Seeing that the threat could no longer distract him from what had to be done, Genma took the packs they had been carrying and started working to make two cots. Carrying those two back home was going to be the hardest thing he'd ever had to do in his life. Soun alone was going to have a heart attack, to say nothing of his own feelings. But if there was any chance they could be revived, it was a risk he was willing to take.


End file.
